City to move 415 graves

City to move 415 graves

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It is said that a grave functions as a shrine to the memory of a
loved one.

However, many people do not seem to care about the graves of
their family members.

The city administration plans to relocate 415 graves in the
Menteng Pulo public cemetery in Central Jakarta on Sept. 19 to
make way for the development of a public park in the front part
of the cemetery, which is divided by Jl. Casablanca.

Graves in Block AA II and AA IV, located within 10 meters of
the street, will be relocated within the cemetery or moved to the
Kampung Kandang cemetery in North Jakarta.

Family members are expected to register at the cemetery
management office between Aug. 5 and Sept. 18 and discuss where
the remains are to be moved.

Up until Saturday morning, however, only 12 people had turned
up.

This is not the first relocation. Last year the city
administration relocated 1,003 graves from the cemetery for the
same purpose.

"Last year, only 155 graves, out of 1,003, were claimed by
their families although we covered the fees of the graves
relocation," cemetery head M. Sirin told The Jakarta Post.

He said that 50 percent of about 59,000 graves in the 32-
hectare cemetery were neglected by their families as they did not
extend the rent fees for the graves.

The fee for a grave is between Rp 4,000 and Rp 100,000 for
three years, depending on its location. The further it is from
the street, the cheaper it is.

Sirin said most people did not care about the graves of their
family members which will be relocated next month.

"If no one claims the grave, we will rebury the remains above
the existing grave, which is also abandoned," he said, adding
this was be done to save space.

Last year, about 9,000 people were buried in Menteng Pulo
cemetery.

In Jakarta in 1985, bodies were buried each day, but in 1995,
the number had increased to more than 90.

One of the people who still cares about the dead is Mrs.
Sahetapy, 65, whose husband was buried in the cemetery in 1983.

"They (the cemetery office) sent me a letter about the
relocation plan, so here I am," she said.

She said her husband's remains would be reburied inside the
cemetery.

"Why do I have to think about his grave? It's simply because I
want to keep my memory of him alive. I won't forget him, even
though he passed away a long time ago," she said as she put a
flower bouquet on her husband's grave.